| Notes |
- "Peter Lester, the founder of the family of that name in Pennsylvania and a pioneer of the Richland Settlement, came to Pennsylvania about 1682 with William Penn's group from Leichestershire, England. He was first given 1 squaref land on Market St. by William Penn in Philadelphia. He sold this for 30 pounds. It probably was the 125 acres he purchased in England prior to coming to the colonies from William Penn. This is the smallest size lot that appears to have been sold by William Penn. (C-228e) He was a member of the Society of Friends and declared intentions of marriage at Chester Monthly Meeting with Mary Duncoff, 6 mo. 6, 1685. He was accompanied to this country by at a close relative, as the will of George Lester, probated at Philadelphia Dec. 14, 1695, mentions him as a kinsman and makes him executor." (C-247) A William Lester who dies in 1691 lists Peter as a cousin and George as a Kinsman.
Peter Lester apparently settled in Springfield Twp., Delaware Co., Pennsylvania. "Springfield is first mentioned as a governmental entity in 1686. In that year Peter Lester was named as constable by the court at Chester." He purchased 316 acres of land in 1699 in the Manor of Moreland, Philadelphia (now Montgomery Co.) where he lived until 1712. He sold his land and then moved his family to the Great Swamp on a 600 acre farm in Richland, purchasing that land on June 24, 1712. He and his family were amongst the first to settle in Richland Co., Pennsylvania His own property was called, "Friends in the Swamp," later being named Richland.
Monthly Meetings where they participated included Abington and Gwynedd. Abington was a distance from where they lived in Richland, so when Gwynedd was finally formed in 1716, they received certificates of removal to join it instead. Since the monthly meetings were taking place on the property of Peter Lester from 1715 through 1723 according to Robert's Early Friends Families of Upper Bucks, I conclude that the Gwynedd Monthly Meetings were actually on their property. They apparently built a small log cabin near his residence for these meetings. When they asked for certificates of removal on 8/29/1716 from Abington, Elizabeth is the only daughter listed with Peter and his wife. To me, that implies that their other sons and daughters have married and moved out by that point in time. (C-247)
Soon after this meeting was formed several other families moved to the area, including two son-in-laws that bought property next to his, Abraham Griffith and John Ball. Peter, in fact, sold 200 acres of land to son-in-law, John Ball in 1717, 200 acres to Jane McVeigh in 1718 and his final 200 acres to his son, Peter in 1721. His wife, Mary, died by 1739. He married again in the Gwyned Monthly Meeting to Sarah Scott in 1740 and probably died sometime between then and 1742. No death records were preserved for that area at that time. (C-1875)
The name Lester is a phonetic spelling of Leicester where the family is from in England. Another possible relative/brother to this Peter is Thomas. He came to America in 1689. He returned three years later to Scotland, married, had 16 children. He returned to Pennsylvania with several of these children. They lived in PA, NC, and possibly Virginia. (C-705)
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Abt 1660 - Abt 1742 (82 years)
